‘Serve my people, my city’: Harvard alumnus joins election race to give Pakistan a facelift

Independent candidate from NA-46 Islamabad, Hamza Ali Haroon, talks to Arab News Pakistan in Islamabad, Pakistan, on January. 31, 2024. (AN photo)
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Updated 02 February 2024
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‘Serve my people, my city’: Harvard alumnus joins election race to give Pakistan a facelift

  • Hamza Ali Haroon, 33, is running for NA-46 seat from Islamabad, wants to reform bureaucracy and economy and combat climate change
  • Ex-PM Khan has in recent years mobilized young Pakistanis who see him as a change from old dynasties that have ruled the country for decades

ISLAMABAD: Hamza Ali Haroon left a corporate job in the United States and came back to Pakistan in 2020 with the desire to make a difference for his home country, plagued for decades by political and economic crises and currently the eighth nation in the world most vulnerable to long-term climate risk. 

Over the next three years, the 33-year-old Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate became more and more convinced that bringing change required him to be at the helm of political affairs in the country.

Next week, Haroon will be among 5,121 candidates looking to win seats in parliament when the South Asian nation of 241 million people goes to the vote in general elections on Feb. 8. It is a big gamble for a young man in a country where the political landscape is dominated by well-established families and the parties they founded — mainly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party — and where most candidates come from well-entrenched political backgrounds and are armed with big money and vote banks.

“The political party culture in Pakistan is a travesty because they do not encourage youth,” Haroon, the father of a five-month-old son and running for the NA-46 seat in Islamabad, told Arab News in an interview this week. 

“In our political culture, unfortunately, the youth is being used only for slogans and giving the [political] parties votes and that’s about it. They do not use their [young people’s] minds to have them build policy, implement policy or to have them come and get elected to go into the parliament and make laws.”

He said he rejected all major political parties in Pakistan and was running as an independent candidate.

“They’re not selecting their candidates on merit, they’re only selecting candidates on the loyalties they have toward their party leaders which I think is a great problem in our political culture and this is the reason why I’ve decided to stand [as an] independent,” said Haroon, who before joining politics served as a special adviser to the minister of science and technology and as a director of strategic initiatives at the information ministry. 

And though Haroon understands how difficult it is to make a dent in Pakistan’s dynastic and patronage-based politics, taking on a challenge is something he has never shied away from.

Just seven months before the National Junior Golf Championship of Pakistan, Haroon, then a 17-year-old, was told he would not be able to play golf again because of a knee injury.

But the defiant teenager not only went on to play in the series, he also won it and was selected to represent Pakistan at the World Junior Golf Championships held in San Diego. 

“At a very young age, I had learned that impossible was not a word in my dictionary, and if I could imagine it, I could achieve it,” Haroon’s Linkedin page read.

So leaving a well-paying job in the US and coming back to Pakistan to join politics was a no-brainer. 

“I realized that my passion in life was always to come back home and serve my people, my city,” he said.

Outlining his political vision, he said he wanted to “give back Islamabad to the youth of this city.”

“This city is being run by a bureaucracy, which is not accountable, which is not transparent, which is not fair,” he said. 

“The second thing we want to do is build an economy that is sustainable, that is inclusive and works for everyone, not just the rich. And the third thing we want to do is have protection of life, health and climate. These are the three pillars that form my vision.”

Along the way, Haroon hopes to inspire young people in a country where out of 128.58 million total registered voters, 23.51 million are between the ages of 18 and 25 and 33.34 million between 26 and 35 years old. 

“I’m seeing this in the campaign as well, that a lot of young people are getting inspired from this campaign because we’re actually talking the truth. We’re telling people the way things are and we’re telling them, ‘Listen, now is the time to change’.”

“OLD PAKISTAN

Experts say former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has played a critical role in mobilizing young people in Pakistan.

Over the years, Khan has utilized social media to build up a vast following of young people who approve of his drive against corruption and ambitious promises to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, and see him as the face of “Naya [new] Pakistan” and a change from the old dynasties who have ruled Pakistan for decades. 

“There is a huge change and then 45 percent of our electoral list consists of young people who want to play their role,” Sarwar Bari, National Coordinator at the not-for profit Pattan Development Organization, told Arab News.

“They [youth] do not want to see the old Pakistan anymore and they wanted to have a better system in Pakistan because they do not like dynasties,” he said. “If polling [on Feb. 8] is transparent, free, and fair, then there is a likelihood that most of the so-called electables [established politicians] can lose to the young candidates.”

“I think Pakistan has changed a lot and the old dynasties have not realized that, and this election is going to tell us that not only the young people, but the rising middle class in Pakistan, whose youth is now very articulate and very active, they have this urge and the energy to change Pakistan,” Bari added.

“And that’s why we see young candidates as well as the young voters on Pakistan’s electoral list.”


Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

  • Extension in services of army, navy and air force chiefs follows controversial amendments to the constitution last month
  • The opposition PTI party condemns the amendments for changing Pakistan “from a democracy into a monarchy”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on Monday approved bills to extend the tenure of the army, navy, and air force chiefs from three to five years, amid protests by the opposition benches. 

The office of the army chief is considered to be the most powerful in the country, with the army having ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history. Even when not directly in power, the army is considered to be the invisible guiding hand in politics and holds considerable sway in internal security, foreign policy, and economic affairs, among other domains. 

Six bills were passed by the upper and lower houses on Monday evening, including one to increase the term of the services chiefs.

“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” read the bill, seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.

Similar bills were passed to increase the duration of the country’s naval and air force chiefs to five years also. 

“The purpose of these amendments are to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (XXXIX of 1952) The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 (Ordinance No. XXXV of 1961) and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 (VI of 1953) with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws.” 

Speaking outside parliament, the chairman of the opposition PTI party, Gohar Ali Khan, said:

“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy.”

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said “modifying the service chiefs’ tenure is not a good thing for the country and the armed forces.”

The passage of the new bills follows controversial amendments made to the constitution last month, granting lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.

The amendments allowed the government to bypass the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as the country’s top judge, replacing former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa. 

The opposition and the legal fraternity had opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.


Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

  • Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks recently
  • Pakistan blames the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants in two separate engagements in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
A militant was killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan’s Dosali area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In the second incident, Pakistani forces intercepted a group of militants while infiltrating the country’s border with Afghanistan in the South Waziristan district. Five militants were killed as a result.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij [militants] for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
 


Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

  • The missile is capable of striking land and sea targets with ‘high precision’
  • Pakistan, India consider their missile programs as deterrent against each other

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has successfully test-fired a ship-launched ballistic missile having a range of 350 km and capable of striking both land and sea targets, it said on Monday.
Pakistan sees its missile development as a deterrent against nuclear-armed arch-foe India. Both countries have fought multiple wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two South Asian neighbors have long been developing missiles of varying ranges in a bid to ensure deterrence against possible attacks from each other, with analysts often warning these developments could push the region into an arms race.
“Pakistan Navy conducted a successful flight test of an indigenously developed ship-launched ballistic missile,” the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) of Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
“The weapon system with 350km range is capable of engaging land and sea targets with high precision.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikldB3jieWo
The flight test of the weapon system, equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and maneuverability features, was witnessed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, senior naval officers, scientists and engineers.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu congratulated the participating navy units and scientists on the development.
 
 


Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

Updated 04 November 2024
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Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

  • The statement comes days after Sharif visited Qatar seeking to bolster economic cooperation between both nations
  • Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh and met the Saudi Crown Prince

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a team of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will visit Pakistan this month to set up an information technology (IT) park in the South Asian country.
The statement came days after Sharif visited Qatar while seeking to bolster economic cooperation amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investment to stabilize its frail $350 billion economy.
Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he discussed trade and investment with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Sharif said a QIA team will visit Pakistan this month, while its chief of Asia-Pacific & Africa Investments, Faisal Bin Thani Al Thani, will also arrive in Islamabad by the end of this month.
“Qatar emir said the same thing. They also suggested setting up an IT park here [in Pakistan],” Sharif told his cabinet members in televised comments.
During his visit, Sharif led delegation-level talks with the Qatari emir before holding a separate meeting with him to discuss a wide array of issues.
“The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture,” Sharif’s office said last week.
He also met a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) and invited them to invest in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.
The developments came amid Pakistan’s attempts to increase trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year by securing a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
 


Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

  • Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 in July and 200 in September
  • It takes the total policy rate cuts in the country to 700 bps in under five months

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday, it said in a statement, for a fourth straight reduction since June, as the country keeps up efforts to revive a sluggish economy with inflation easing.
Most respondents in a Reuters poll last week expected a cut of 200 bps after inflation moved down sharply from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023, saying reductions were needed to bolster growth.
Average consumer price index inflation in the South Asian country is 8.7 percent in the current financial year, which started in July, the statistics bureau says. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects inflation to average 9.5 percent for the year ending June.
Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.
October inflation came in at 7.2 percent, slightly above the government’s expectation of 6 percent to 7 percent. The finance ministry expects inflation to slow further to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent in November.
However, inflation could pick up again in 2025, driven by electricity and gas price increases after a new $7-billion IMF bailout, and the potential impact of taxes on the retail, wholesale and the farm sector announced in the June budget to take effect in January 2025, some analysts say.